Family History
by The Crone's Daughter
Summary: Ms. Tabitha Wren begins her job at Bare Souls, an asylum filled with the criminally insane, one in particular named Beyond Birthday. Very Graphic
1. Chapter 1

New Story! First off, I want to say that I'm going to be stopping the Edgar/BB fanfics; since I've run out of stories to use. However, you can always PM me and tell me your favorite story, within a week it shall be posted...if I have the time to write that is. But I found an alternative, The Parenticide Club by Ambrose Bierce, who is just like Poe but focuses more on murder and guess who's going to be in it. LOL, so I hope you will enjoy the stories and click the review button to tell what you think. Also, I'm redoing TDA and I'll try to update something this month. XD, enjoy!

PenArtist10000

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Chapter 1

Tabitha Wren fixes her hair once last time into a perfect bun before she steps out of her rickety car, the bitter wind screaming in her ears and black clouds cradling ice-cold rain. Brunette, could be pretty with an addition of a pound or two on her body. With wide grey eyes that revealed half-hidden loneliness behind half-moon glasses, she walks toward the asylum, the cobbled road nearly making her trip.

It was a tall building, granite bricks had weathered down into smooth walls with faceless angels standing guard upon the roof. Surrounded by a forest of gnarled trees and a small church, it seemed to have come from an old Victorian horror story; its windows crafted out of black glass gave Tabitha a shiver of fear as she walked up the steps.

Her mother loved those stories, often reciting them to Tabitha in the dead of night when she was a little girl. Tabitha never really liked her mother. A small gray kitten lay on the doorstop, a slit of a gold eye opened as it viewed the newcomer, rising and rubbing on her legs as she pressed the cracked doorbell. It was a few moments before a young girl opened the door; the bright light from inside the building made Tabitha blink back tears as her eyes adjusted.

The girl was as pale as paper and patches of blonde hair missing from her scalp, lips smeared with candy red lipstick and green eyes that seemed to be pure emerald. She picked up the kitten, cooing as she rubbed her face against its soft fur, her pure white straightjacket was now a stylish jacket and shorts that showed multiple scars on her arms and legs.

The girl blinked at Tabitha and broke out into a wide smile, "Hello-hello! Welcome to Bare Souls, 'where you're not cured until you see unicorns.'" The girl giggled at her joke, her voice an odd high pitch continued "I kid you…or not. Anyways, what's your name? Mine's Cherri…with an _I _, don't ever forget the _I._"

She held up the kitten to Tabitha, "This is Ambrose, he's five months old. I named him after that guy who wrote that book, you know? You're a lot prettier than the last one we had," she leaned in close and whispered, "you actually have a chest, _haha_!" Tabitha gave her a weak smile, she hoped that she got Cherri for a patient, it would make her job ten times easier.

Tabitha asked, "Do you know where the Head-" "Oh! The man in a dress, Ms. Ide, she's horrible…why do want to talk to her for?" Tabitha was going to reply when a tall man stepped behind Cherri, muscled arms scribbled black with tattoos and pictures that would make a nun blush.

"Cherri," the man growled out, eyes two disks of night and a mop of fire red hair, "what did I tell you about opening doors?"

Cherri turned and faced the man, face blank and eyes closed in concentration she recited, "Uhhh, it's impolite because someone may be masturbating or having sex and I would-" "Shut up Cherri," the man cut her off and pushed her out of the doorway rather forcefully, "and go to your room. Zine's waiting for you and he's not in a good mood today."

Cherri gave Tabitha a enthusiastic wave and disappeared around the corner. Tabitha stared a her feet as the man gave her a once over, "Come on in," he said and stepped back to let her through. The inside was dingy gray, the walls slowly being taken over by mold and the once white marble floor stained with something that looked a _lot _like blood.

The lights flicked on and off as the pair walked down the halls, with peeling gray steel doors on each side holding people that could probably end the world as you know in twenty four hours. The man pointed at random doors as they walked, "Kitchen, bathroom, cafeteria, day room…I wouldn't go in there unless you have a really good reason and tranquilizer gun."

They walked up a flight of stairs, the wooden steps creaking dangerously with every step she took. The second floor was spilt into two hallways, windows going all the way across; the man pointed to the left where there was only one door at the end of it. "That's your room and office now, you're lucky to even have a room. You have a T.V, private bathroom and fridge, complete with a _king_ sized bed," he grunted, the anger clear in his words.

He then pointed to the right, the door nearest to them, "That's my room, if you need any help. Don't come in without my permission and don't waste my time, I have a hard time already taking care of over 150 people in this damned place." They went to the right side and walked to the end of the hall, a large oak door held the polished gold plate "Ms. Ide, _Bare Souls _Matron." The man pounded on the door twice and opened the door, stiffly walking away when Tabitha called to him. "Wait…what's your name?" she asked, flinching when she was his muscles tense.

"Max…just Max," he answered and walked into his room.

"_Hmm,_" a feminine voice sounded behind her, Tabitha turned to face the sound. Ms. Ide sat behind a large oak desk, her face was needle thin with hollowed out cheeks and her blonde-grey hair was pulled into a tight bun. Her mouth was pressed into a thin pink slash, above it was a light mustache and her eyes held no kindness, probably locked up and wasted away for decades. Her dress seemed to be a wedding dress covered in dust and stained beyond repair, Tabitha tugged her light brown skirt a few inches down.

Ms. Ide looked like a person to judge at an instant.

The room was immaculately clean and a wide window towered behind the desk, Ms. Ide's mouth creased into a grimace. Her voice nasally sharp and high, perfected from years of experience began, "Welcome to Bare Souls, where one leaves their sickness and desires behind." _For unicorns and purple pills, _Tabitha thought, remembering Cherri's comment earlier.

Ms. Ide's face darkened at Tabitha's small smile, "You are a minute and _five seconds late _. A patient could have easily escaped and held you at knife point in _three_ seconds. Timing is everything ." Ms. Ide spoke her name as if it left a horrible taste in her mouth, she pointed an unpainted finger at the chair in front of her.

"Sit."

Tabitha sat, handing Ms. Ide her papers and staring at the ground as the woman's gaze flickered from the papers to her repeatedly. "_Hmmm_" Tabitha sighed, she knew what was coming next. "Ms. Wren, all your information in perfect and with a clean criminal record too," the woman tried to stretch her lips into a fake smile and failed horrifically.

"But…" Tabitha eyes found the ground, cheeks red with shame. "I see that you yourself have come out of a psychological ward just a few years ago." Tabitha only nodded her head, it usually helped make the meetings as short as possible. "Hmmm, well then we both know what's going to happen now, don't we," Ms. Ide murmured.

"T-Thank you so much for your time ma'am," Tabitha croaked from her tight throat as she began to rise, eyes already stinging with tears, " I'll be gone before you know it." Ms. Ide chucked, "I didn't say 'leave', did I ? I hope you'll find your stay satisfactory Wren, I just know you'll be here for a _long _time." With a single move, Ms. Ide dropped a silver key into Tabitha's lap, mouth wide in a smile that showed long crooked yellow teeth.

Tabitha blinked, falling back into her seat with a bounce, glancing from the key to the woman, hoping it wasn't some sick joke. Ms. Ide's smile quickly fell, voice sharp as razors, "Are you deaf? You're hired, go to your room." Tabitha shot out of her chair and strode quickly over to the door, brass knob freezing her hand to the bone as she turned it.

"Oh yes, before I forget Ms. Wren," Ms. Ide called from her desk, her body turned to the window, " I would keep away from Mr. Max…he's not a friendly person."

Tabitha muttered thanks and closed the door, gulping air down her throat as her heart pounded against her chest. She thought for sure that she would be turned down, her last six interviews had ended that way. Tabitha walked down the hall to her room, the key felt so _right _in her hand. Tabitha was on the verge of skipping down the down when lightening flashed across the sky, from the windows she saw bare white trees cast midnight shadows on the ground and a large round lake with water so dark the light had no effect on it.

Thunder sounded like the clashing of metal and the lights flickered once more then went out. Tabitha's heart skipped a beat, dark memories came bubbling up from her past, each one worst than the first. She ran to the end of the hall, hyperventilating as she searched for the doorknob, the key scraping the door as Tabitha's shaky hand missed repeatedly.

Tabitha could barely hear the click of the lock above the sound of her blood propelled through her veins. She stumbled forward into darkness and quickly found the switch on the wall, sighing in relief when the lights flickered to life once more. She closed the door tightly, closely observing her new room. It was a habit of hers to look at her surroundings closely. Her mother also liked to scare Tabitha when she was little, hiding around corners and doors just to see her scream in shock. Tabitha was surprised when she saw how big it was, her small apartment wouldn't even take up closet space in it.

There was a large bed in the middle of the room, piled high with pillows, all of it covered in sheets that resembled black silk; the Tabitha could actually see her reflection on the floor tiles. The walls were covered with wallpaper, alternating stripes of ocean blue, smoky grey and alabaster white made her smile. They were her favorite colors, passed down from her wavering childhood memories of her father, a tall and quiet man. Tabitha got her eyes from him too, the only things she was given by him before he left suddenly when she was seven.

A small dresser and an ornate full length mirror stood off to the side next to a door, which under further inspection led to the porcelain bathroom. A smaller door led to her closet, a space that made Tabitha blush at the size of it, her clothes only filling five hangers . The last door was locked, Tabitha found a small key in a box on top of the door, opening up to a large round room. She flipped the switch and walked forward, her footsteps echoing on the ivory floor as she looked around.

There was a chair and couch in the middle of the room, a plush large chair was on the left facing the threadbare couch, the fabric seemed to be torn by nails. High windows lined the walls, the thick gold curtains pulled back to reveal the night sky reflected like black rectangles on the floor. The walls were painted yellow, a shade of yellow that reminded Tabitha of the sun on clear day.

A manila folder lying on the couch caught her eye, picking in up she realized it was thick with papers. She took the folder with her to the bedroom, turning off the lights and closing the door behind her. Sitting on her bed, Tabitha opened the folder, the first page was a letter written in spidery letters.

'_Dear , you have been chosen to become the psychiatrist of Bare Souls for four _whole _months. If you did not already know, Bare Souls is the only asylum in the country that holds the criminally insane and deranged. There is a ever-increasing amount of patients being sent to Bare Souls, your job is utterly important and simply this. You will meet your patients twice every month, recording their actions and memories, deciding if they actually have a mental disorder or simply feigning sickness. _

_'Your patients include _Cherri Ritter, _age 17, a girl who is skilled in knifes and slit the throats of all 15 of her victims. _Zine Leach, _age 7, a sociopath who killed off all the dogs and a toddler in his closed community. _Bast Madison, _age 48, murdered his wife and two children after he found out his wife was going to divorce him. _

_'_Max Ritter, _age 25, brother of Cherri Ritter and aided in her murders; also killed their parents at age 16 after a dispute over an acquaintance of his. The last patient you will be seeing is _Beyond Birthday, _age 22, the number of his victims is unknown but has been connected to many disappearances at his orphanage before he left unannounced. _

_'Your pay will not weighted on how many cases you solve, so the $300,000- ' _Tabitha blinked at this. The newspaper clipping never mentioned the pay and the amount of the paper seemed unbelievable, she continued to read on.

'_So the $300,000 paycheck will be sent to your account each month, that is, if you stay long enough. At the end of this period, you will relay your accounts to Ms. Ide and you can leave the facility. Under no circumstances are you allowed to leave the premises, if you do your pay will be cut and license revoked. We hope you have a lovely stay at Bare Souls. _

Tabitha shrugged her tired shoulders, letting the folder of papers hit the floor; she would look at them tomorrow. Peeling off her clothes and turning off the lights, she slipped under the covers; the silk felt ice on her skin as she fell out of reality and into a nightmaree.


	2. Chapter 2

Update!!! Sorry for the long wait, I lost my regular writing laptop and had to work with a cumbersome 17 inch giant HP that hates me. This is chapter 2 of HOM and we finally get to see BB, yay! I've been working on chapter 4 of"The Picture" and you should see it soon in February. The story used was "My Favorite Murder," By Ambrose Bierce .XD I hope you enjoy it!

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_Tabitha was in her old room, a place where she spent most of her teenage years. She sat at the edge of her bed, the threadbare pink quilt made her sweaty palms itch and the warped floorboards felt as rough beneath her feet as they did before she left. The sun was setting in her window, lighting the room up a bright gold; her porcelain dolls stood off on a dresser, glass eyes shifting colors from green to red to midnight black. _

_A loud creak made Tabitha glance down, the sound repeated along with harsh, croaking laugher that made Tabitha's skin crawl. It was her mother's voice, one that gave her nightmares and terrorized her whenever she closed her eyes. She was probably in her rocking chair, watching and laughing at the women who told their dirty, little secrets to the whole world. _

_What was Tabitha doing here? _

_She looked at the mirror that hung on her door, blinking in surprise at her eighteen year old face as she saw that her hair was gone. _

_No, it wasn't gone; the sheared locks covered Tabitha's legs like leaves on the ground during fall. The pair of scissors bit into her skin like ice as she held them in her hand, she ran a shaky hand through her hair, smiling as her hair met short, soft locks. Tabitha chuckled; Thomas would love it when he saw it. She got up and slipped the scissors into her long black jeans, walking over to the mirror she re-applied her purple lipstick. Her eyes seemed to be two pools of light fog; she added eyeliner to make them stand out even more. _

_She turned and saw that her bags were packed for her; she picked them up with ease and placed her hand on the doorknob. Adrenaline ran through her veins as she imaged what she would say to her mother and what her reaction would be when she told her she was leaving. Anger that she was finally going to get away from her? _

_Sadness that her little girl hated her that much…Tabitha giggled at that. _

_Her mother's heart could never be that big. _

_The phone rang and Tabitha's heart dropped. That idiot! Tabitha bit her lip in anger; he told her that he would wait. She didn't even try to get the phone; she heard her mother's raspy voice answer it. The house was silent as the phone clicked on its handle; her mother's footsteps were clear as they went up the steps. Tabitha stumbled back, cursing the cool plaster wall that held her back from going further. _

_The door turned with a click, a thin and pale face slipped through the opening; a carbon copy of Tabitha's only creased with wrinkles and streaks of grey in her hair. One hand was held behind her back but Tabitha knew what it was. _

_"I got a call from a young man named…Thomas. He said that he knew you, do you?" Her mother crooned, voice laced with kindness, a rarity that made Tabitha shake and press closer to the wall. "Oh dear," her mother whispered, "don't be afraid. _

_"I'm not mad that you're a slut! I let you go into town to get groceries and books, not to be on your back for every boy you see! And your clothing is just disgusting, take it off at once." Tabitha's eyes burned with tears, she stepped forward, nearly two inches away from her mother, "No. I won't do that Mother. Maybe I'm tired of living with you and want to leave you alone to die. _

_"Maybe I want to be a slut, the boys that I sleep with make feel a lot better than you ever did." Her mother only stared at Tabitha, drawing in air with a hiss she said, "I guess I'll have to teach you a lesson then." She pulled the thick leather belt from behind her, swinging her arm up to lash out to Tabitha. Tabitha's hand slipped into her back pocket, the scissors felt warm as she opened them wide as she sliced the air in front of her. _

_"Ah…" her mother gasped, the blood crimson on her alabaster fingers as she stroked the cut on her shoulder, "Stupid little girl, you can't even kill a person." Sharp grey eyes flashed in the setting sun, a clawed and bloodied hand snatched the weapon away from Tabitha and tore her tight lavender shirt to shreds. _

_"Now I'm going to teach you a lesson you'll never forget dear," her mother held Tabitha's bare shoulder in a vice grip as she began the first slice on her skin. The metal felt like fire as it glided on her white skin, the pain was a slow creep up her shoulder. Tabitha cried out, the blood running down her chest in long tendrils, but her mother only continued. Her mother continued again and again, mimicking the first cut on her shoulder, but then she paused. Tabitha glanced at her with heavy lidded eyes, her black eyeliner running down her face as the tears flowed; the pain and blood loss had made her world begin to turn. _

_She saw her mother grin, long and crooked teeth that were as white as bleached bone, "This cut will make sure no boy will ever touch you again," she cackled and angled the tip of the blade so it was pointing down. With one fluid movement, she cut Tabitha down to her breast, making sure she went deep into the plump skin and twisted-_

Tabitha awoke with a start, a crash from downstairs echoed in her mind as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes. She quickly sat up, sighing with relief as she saw she wasn't back at home and her mother was miles away, six feet under the ground. She hadn't been to her grave in ages, her hospital made sure of that when they took her in. Tabitha glanced around and slipped back into the bed sheets, the warm bed melting her worries away. The door to her office was ajar, letting in bright rays of the rising sun that-

Tabitha frowned, heart skipping a beat as she looked at the open door. Didn't she close it last night?

She quickly put on her glasses and wrapped her bed sheet around her body, gasping as her feet met the cold marble beneath her. She tip-toed to the opening and slipped her head through the door, squinting as the large windows let in the sun's rays and reflected it off the floor. Her eyes adjusted and saw that the room was empty, the torn couch and fluffy chair in the same place she left it before she went to bed. Tabitha blushed, she hadn't been in the place for less than twenty-four hours and she was already paranoid.

A low voice sighed.

Tabitha screamed; the noise made even louder by the large space in the room. "I would have thought that Ms. Ide would have given you the 'Tardiness equals Death' speech on your first day," a familiar voice growled out. Tabitha glanced around, nearly jumping out of her skin when she saw where the voice came from.

It was only Max, Tabitha saw a black inked and pale arm resting comfortably on the couch. How did she miss him? "I-I didn't know I started today," Tabitha whispered to him. Max lifted his head, locks of gold and crimson glittered in the sunlight as they covered his face, his thin lips formed into a harsh line.

"Oh really?" he scoffed and rose from his position, "I didn't know that you were the type of person to sleep without any clothes on. Your breakfast is on the table," he pointed to a plate on top of a dining tray near the door. Tabitha pulled the sheet closer to her body, self-conscious of where her body dipped and curved.

Max scratched his head and walked to a golden wall panel, a loud click sounded as he pressed on it, swinging open to reveal a darken staircase that led down into the asylum. He walked through the doorway and without turning back he mumbled, "This is the doorway where the patients come in, you can lock it by turning your key in the keyhole at the top of it. You're going to see Zine and Beyond today; Zine's appointment starts in thirty minutes…I would be careful with him if I were you."

"What about Beyond?"

Max shrugged, "He's…different. You'll see when he comes in." He disappeared down the stairwell, his voice still clear as he called back to her, "You should lock the door to your office, that's how we lost the last one." Tabitha paled and walked over to the hole, greeted only by darkness and the shrill laughter of the building's occupants. She shivered; even though the room was warm, she began to feel goosebumbs on her arms. Her stomach growled and she glanced at the plate; bacon, eggs, and some cup of grey water that smelled a lot like coffee.

She picked it up, walked back into her room, and closed the door with her key this time; placing the tray and sheet on the floor as he walked into her bathroom. She turned on the light in the bathroom and she stared at her reflection in the mirror. A black widow crawled across the glass up to the ceiling, long black legs pulling on its silk to spin a silver web to live in. A thin and white face looked back at her, murky eyes wide with fright nearly hidden behind a mesh of long brown curls.

She gently placed a fingertip at the base of her neck, silver scars on her skin shone under the florescent light. The longest one, which went from her neck down to her breast, tingled as she dragged her finger along it. Tabitha sighed and looked away from her body, stepping into the shower and shaking her head to erase the memory of what happened years before. The warm water made her feel better; she began to think of her upcoming session. Zine didn't sound like a troublesome little boy.

Tabitha was completely wrong; the young boy seemed to be a ticking time bomb. Zine had caramel skin and a frail body, as if crafted by a candy maker. He seemed so harmless…but his large brown eyes held an intelligence that made Tabitha cringe. The pair sat in the yellow room, Tabitha had closed all but one of curtains since there was so much light this morning. Zine sat rigid still on the couch, hands handcuffed in front of him twitched every minute or so. Tabitha smiled at him, hoping that she could make a connection with him. He glared at her; with his impossibly white teeth he spoke, "Who are you?"

Tabitha responded, "I'm your new psychiatrist, Tabitha Wren, and-"

"For how long?" he asked, his eyes dark and dull. Tabitha blanched, why would he care how she would be here?

"Cherri told me about you," Zine said, "she said that you were prettier than the last one. You look really plain to me, I bet you never had a boyfriend because of how you look." He laid back, suddenly relaxed and small smile on his face as he gazed at Tabitha. Tabitha remembered what his file said and swallowed her anger: _he is_ _a remarkable young boy but can be a bit of _a _smartass__ handful_ _if caution is not taken. Be aware that he likes to insult people…also do not talk about bugs with him._

Tabitha smoothed her pale brown skirt, "Well then, Zine…let's talk about you for now. Why did you kill the dogs?" He shrugged, body still stretched out the couch, "Why do you wear such ugly colors?"

"Why did you kill the child in your neighborhood? She was younger than you, she probably couldn't have harmed you as a dog could," Tabitha leaned forward as Zine stiffened; his eyes went to the floor as the minutes passed in silence. "I," he whispered, voice weak and child-like, "I don't know." He looked up at Tabitha, "Why did you take this job? Was it because no one sane could stand to look at you or was it that you felt that you could "connect" to people like me?" Tabitha concentrated on the curtain behind Zine's head and sighed, she was getting nowhere with this, if she wanted to be insulted she could have just talked to Max or Ms. Ide for a minute.

She got up with a single move, Zine's eyes flickered with amusement as she left the room. Tabitha strode to her bathroom, the black widow still spinning its web in the corner, a white pouch hanging nearby squirmed with hundreds of children ready to be out in the world. She grabbed a small glass and tapped the pouch inside, blanching as the widow scrambled to save its brood. She was about to leave when she remember what her doctor told her before Tabitha left the ward.

"_Now dear, promise me that you won't harm anyone else when you leave. Molly had to get stitches after what you did to her and I don't think you would like to be back here again, do you?" _the calm voice whispered in her mind. Tabitha shook her head and leaned in to place the litter back on the web, but pulled back. Her doctor wouldn't know what she did and she was only going it to teach Zine a lesson. She glanced at the widow above her and was about to take it also, but thought against it; Zine would know she was up to if she had a black spider in her hands.

She flicked off the light and left the childless widow in the dark, holding the glass behind her back as she entered the room. Zine stared at her, a small smirk on his lips when he saw her pale face. "I hope I didn't make you cry Tabitha…I was taught to tell the truth to adults." Tabitha shook her head and sat down in her chair, jiggling the glass in her hand, "I'm fine Zine, and I just left to get you a present." Zine leaned forward, eyes wide in surprise, "A present for me? What is it?"

Tabitha held up the glass, "It's a small silk charm I got from town. It grants you your every wish," Tabitha whispered and tipped the egg sack into her palm. Zine blinked with his mouth agape, "Any wish?" he asked.

"Any wish. You just have to put in your room, the best places are above your bed or on your nightstand table, and wait," Tabitha hand shook as she said this. She was breaking her promise to her doctor; he would be disappointed if he heard about it. She took Zine's hand in hers and placed the pouch in his small, warm hand; he gasped and cradled it to his chest. "I can get anything I want from this," his eyes shine like stars as he said this, Tabitha leaned back and glanced at her wristwatch.

_Time's up already,_ she thought, she clapped her hands and stood up. "Well then Zine, your time's up. I'll see you next okay?" She led him to the false wall and opened the door for him, she leaned into his ear and whispered, "The only way you know your wish comes true is if the pouch bursts open…good luck." She pushed him through the door and closed it behind him. Tabitha hummed a tune and danced into her bathroom, she checked on the widow to see how she was doing. The spider raised its fangs to Tabitha, drops of poison dripped on the web as the spider scuttled closer to her. "

Don't worry, your kids are safe," she muttered to the widow, "you may even see one before you die." Tabitha turned off the light and left the widow in darkness, she had some time to kill before her meeting with Beyond, it was time for her to take a closer look at Bare Souls.

"Hi lady!" Cherri called out to Tabitha at the end of her tour, the young girl was laying near the lake with a handful of wildflowers clutched in her hands. Tabitha walked to Cherri, a smile on her face; Bare Souls was a beautiful place in the sunshine, the rooms seemed livelier and the angels looked a bit more serene. Tabitha at down next to Cherri, who was busy plucking hairs from her head and dropping them into the black water. The blonde strands floated away from the pair and disappeared into the dark depths below.

"Why are you doing that Cherri?" Tabitha asked after watching her for the last five minutes. Cherri looked up, her crimson lipstick smeared thick and verdant eyes bright in the sunlight, "I don't know, my mom did it to me when I did something bad. She would just wrap her finger like so," Cherri lifted a pale finger and twisted it tightly around a lock of her hair. "And then she pulled _real _hard. It stopped hurting faster if she did it when she was sober, since she would take care to make sure that no one could see that mark.

"But when she was drunk she pulled like crazy…but Max got her to stop." She giggled and smiled up at Tabitha, "He's a good brother…do you have any siblings?" Tabitha shook her head, "I'm an only child, my dad left and my mom never remarried." "Oh…it must have been lonely for you, huh?" Cherri said, making rings on her fingers from the deep violets and bright ochre of the blossoms. Tabitha shrugged, hoping the topic would shift from her family past; she didn't like reminiscing about her childhood. "Look!" Cherri held up her hand to Tabitha and showed her hand, "isn't it pretty?"

Tabitha nodded and smiled, she wondered how her life would had been like if she had a sibling; someone she could go to with her troubles. "Hey lady…do you have a boyfriend?" Cherri whispered, licking her lips like the Joker; Tabitha frowned at Cherri. "What…? Cherri what kind of question is that?"

"Oh, I was just asking because you and Max seem to be the normal-ist people here…and Max looks really lonely nowadays. He's really nice when once you get to know him," She pointed to the church that stood off to the side of the woods, "He spends all of his time in there doing whatever," she glanced at Tabitha.

"Maybe you can visit him one dark night and you know…just kidding," Cherri winked an emerald eye at Tabitha. Tabitha blushed and rose quickly, "I'll see you later Cherri, I have an appointment today." Tabitha quickly walked back to the asylum, not responding as Cherri called out to her, "Bye lady! Remember what I told you!"

Tabitha tapped her fingers on her chair as she waited for Beyond to enter the room, the wide windows let setting sun's light encompass the room, turning the walls and floor a fiery red. She had looked over his file but still couldn't understand why he was considered the worst of the worst. Someone like Bast or even Max, she blushed as Cherri's words repeated in her head '_maybe you can visit him and you know…'_ The bad thing was that Tabitha didn't know if Cherri was joking or not, she jiggled her black pen in her fingers, watching it twirl in the air.

Tabitha jumped in surprise as Max entered her field of vision. "You really don't pay attention, do you?" Max growled from the door, he sighed and turned behind him to reach for something. "Here's Beyond…make sure you watch him," Max muttered and shoved Beyond forward.

Beyond's file didn't lie; he was a _bit_of an oddball. Tabitha stared at the dark-haired man; his white straitjacket seemed to be as tight as a corset. The alabaster straps went around his neck, chest and in between his legs, the snaps were studded with dull iron.

His arms were twisted behind his back like a pretzel and handcuffed together. He had a stance of a person with low self esteem with his head hung low, his bony shoulders sagged and his hair was messily arranged on his head as if he just woke up. His face was white and gaunt, as if he had seen too many things for his liking.

wiggled his bare feet and sighed, "Can I sit down now or are you just going to keep on looking at me?" he asked, his voice low and laced with boredom. "Ah…sure, my name is Tabitha Wren. I'm your new physiatrist," Tabitha gestured to the couch, watching Beyond walk over and crouch on the sofa like bird. She raised an eyebrow, "Are you sure that you're comfortable like that?"

He shrugged and lifted his head to her, Tabitha paled as his ruby irises glinted in the sunlight. Beyond smirked, "You have the same look on your face like the last one did, Tabitha…but you're a bit prettier.

"Can I ask you a question?" he leaned forward expectantly.

"Sure."

"Why did you give Zine that egg sack of spiders? You of all people would know that he freaks out about ants." Tabitha smiled, "I don't know…it seemed that it would cut him down to size after our appointment went horribly wrong. You won't tell him though?" Beyond cackled, throwing his raven locks into disarray and shaking his body to the core. After a few minutes his laughter faded off into a wheeze and stopped, "Of course not, I hate that little kid."

Tabitha was impressed, she thought that Beyond would be one of the more difficult ones to handle but he seemed to be very amiable. She relaxed in her seat and pulled out her paper, "Now Beyond, may I call you that?" He nodded once and Tabitha continued, "What happened to those children at the orphanage that disappeared?"

"They made me angry, so I killed them." Tabitha froze, gazing at Beyond above her glasses. How could he say that so nonchalantly without a bat of an eye? "Why?" she whispered. "How many of them are gone?"

He tilted his head and squinted his eyes, "Ah…to answer your second question, I lost count after my seventh. I remember him the best because he destroyed my manga volumes," he glanced at Tabitha. "They're Japanese comic books but they cost _a lot _of money. I made him go out into a lake and then stoned him to death one summer vacation.

"All in all it was a great time." He gave Tabitha a crooked smile as a small hysterical giggled left his lips.

"Your first question is a bit more confusing to answer, if you don't mind listening about my past I'll be glad to tell you."

Tabitha nodded and put down her paper and pen, "Start whenever you want to."

"It was my favorite murder and first murder I had ever committed. It was before I went to the orphanage, which was a shithole of place if you ask me. My family is very…weird. Most of my ancestors were murderers or a sick twisted person…one of my grandfathers was necrophiliac. But they only found that out after my grandmother died.

"Anyway, I lived in a small town with my parents and their brothers and sisters down in the South."

"You don't have an accent Beyond," Tabitha said, "how do I know if you're telling the truth?"

He chuckled, "I have no idea…isn't that your job though?" He glanced at his bonds and twisted his frail body, "Max sure does tie these tight on me…I don't think he likes me. But, you should see how he treats Cherri. Where was I, ah I remember.

"My father had a construction company, one that prospered over the years as the town grew and grew. We had a good life and the town was beautiful and lively; well, it was the last time I heard about it. My father soon became old and gave the contract of the company to my Uncle Lux.

"He was a bit taller than me and had red eyes like me too… I was about fourteen when my uncle Lux came up to me with a proposition, 'ey there nep'ew, I gots an idea for you an' me to makes lots of money. What do you say?' my uncle had a horrific drawl back then.

"His plan was to open a church near the highway and scam people out of their money; I was supposed to be part of the crowd and ask for Lux to bless me. After the crowd saw my miraculous change, they would be lining up for miles. I was surprised when after four days we had about fifty people outside our little church. We charged only 50 dollars or whatever valuables you had on you, he got the gold watch my father gave me when I was seven and my mother's antique vase as my payment."

Beyond shifted in his seat, "Do you mind if I get more comfortable?" he asked Tabitha. She glanced at her watch, she had twenty minutes to spare; Tabitha was sure his story wouldn't be that long.

"Of course, just make sure you…_what are doing_!" Tabitha's eyes widened as Beyond stood up and laced his legs through his arms, pulling them towards the front of his body, flexing his spider like fingers and undoing the crotch and neck strap. "There we go," he stretched himself out on the couch like a cat and yawned, "nice and comfy now." Tabitha slid her seat back a few feet from Beyond, "I really think you should-"

"I won't hurt you and I'll put my jacket before Max comes in, Scout's honor," he held up the signal and gazed out the window, "you're lucky you get windows in your room, all I have are four grey walls and constant screaming to keep me up at night."

He scratched his head, "I confronted Lux after our little scam about my belongings, but the fool took me on as an idiot saying he didn't know what I was talking about. I told my parents what had happened and my father went over Lux to talk it out. He came back missing an eyeball and angry as the Devil.

"Bless their souls; they both agreed that there was only one thing left to do. My father gave me his rifle and my mother gave me some strawberry jam if I got hungry, they waved me off a few days later as I went to my uncle's house.

"I took a backwoods trail to my uncle's home, a small shack with some cattle and fields. I knocked on the door and raised the rifle, only to lower it as my Aunt Dorothy answered the door.

"'How are you dearie? What are you going here this time of day, shouldn't you be chasing girls on the streets?'" she asked in her light and airy voice, her long blonde hair swayed in the wind as she stood in the doorway. I told her that I was going to kill my uncle and asked if he was around, but she only laughed in my face, "'You won't believe how many people come up here saying that exact same thing and end up in a body bag.'"

I frowned, "Auntie, I'm not joking and I'll show that I'm not." An old man was walking down the road as I said this, I turned to him and with a blink of an eye I shot him in the head. The man crumpled to the ground, his blood pooled around his shattered head and brain matter like a crimson halo.

"'Huh,'" was her answer. "'You weren't joking were you, well he's near the creek at the end of the road. I hope you do good, before you kill Lux can you tell him that he needs to get rid of that body, if he makes it out okay'" she pointed her finger at the corpse. She turned and was about to shut the door when she called back, "'I have some apple pie cooling down, if you make it back I'll be glad to give you some.'"

"I went through some shrubs to the creek where I found my uncle scaling some fish he caught. I sighed when I saw that he didn't have a gun, it wouldn't be fair for me to just shoot him, and so I walked up to him and talked about the weather and my time at school. As soon as he dropped his eyes down to continue I knocked him on the head with the butt of my rifle.

"His eyes rolled into the back of his head and fluttered, I took the time to grab his knife and sever his Achilles tendons so he couldn't get away. He woke up as soon as I got through the second one and said, "' Since you got me now, could you at least take me to my house so I can die at my wife's side?'"

"'Sure,'" I said, I was in a giving mood and he _was_ my uncle. I walked over to his car and pulled out a large sack, I told him I would carry him home inside it so that the neighbors wouldn't ask any questions. I slipped the sack on him from the feet up and discovered that it was too short and wide for his body. I bent his legs and curled his body up into a fetal position and shoved him in, I pulled the drawstrings tight. I lifted him on my back as I went down the road, cursing as his weight nearly brought me to the ground.

"I walked around for about twenty minutes until I saw abandoned swing hanging on an oak tree, I quickly untied the swing and laced the rope through the mouth of the sack. I threw the other end of the rope over the tree limb and hoisted my uncle up five feet in the air. He must have passed out since he didn't say a word as I tied the rope to a root and swung him gently like a pendulum.

"My uncle was famous for his ram, one that loved to fight anything that came in its way with its large sharp horns. It would jump in the air and butt the sky when it could; fences, cars, homes, people, anything was its enemy. I saw it was dozing a few yards from where we stood; I pushed my uncle a bit harder so that he swung high in the air and ran into a bush and crouched. Then I raised my voice into a call, ending it in an annoyingly high pitch. The ram jumped up and shook its large head, already backing up in position to strike as it saw the bag.

"It dug its hooves in the ground and ran forward, when it was almost under the bag it leaped up in the air and stuck its horns into the sack. My uncle screamed and jumped in the air, only swinging his bag faster than before.

"'Nephew! Where are you?'" he cried in pain. I chuckled and called out to him, "I'm over here Uncle, you got caught in some brambles and it looks like it will take a while for

The ram backed up from when it started and tried again, its horns stabbed into the cloth and again my uncle shrieked in pain. I sat up a bit and looked at the ram's progress on my uncle, it seemed that he was still alive and sitting up…this was going to take longer than I thought. I ate some jam as the ram continued to attack my uncle, laughing when my uncle's yelps got higher and higher in pitch. But then the ram stopped, as if it was tired; it walked away and ate some grass until it was a quarter of a mile away.

"My uncle had stopped yelling by then, he just groaned and called out for me, I think he started crying once. The ram shook its flanks and trotted in a small circle before taking its attack position again.

"It leaned forward and sprinted toward the bag, loping with grace as it picked up speed. As it floated up into the air, time seemed to stop; the sun, the plants, the taste of strawberries in my mouth all became a bit brighter and sweeter. I giggled as the ram struck the bag hard, so hard that it brought the bag down with it as it landed on the ground.

"There was a loud snap as the bag landed top down, his neck had probably broke into two from the force of the ram. The ram then began to stomp on the bag, crushing my uncle's body into a bloody pulp. This continued for some time until it got bored and walked away into the fields.

"I came out of my hiding place and picked up the considerably lighter bag and carried it over to his house, Aunt Dorothy didn't say a word as she took the bag from me and handed me a piece of pie."

Beyond sighed, a whimsical smile on his face, he glanced at the window and snapped on his restraints. "Time to go now Tabitha, I hope I get to see you again." He chuckled and sat down as Max entered the room, Max turned to Tabitha, "He didn't do anything rash did he?"

Tabitha shook her head, "Ah…nope. We just talked about his past..."

Max raised his eyebrows, "Huh, because the last one told me that he slipped out of his bonds during his evaluation. Also because you look paler than you usually do."

Max walked over and pulled Beyond to his feet and led him to the door, Beyond turned around to Tabitha with a Cheshire cat smile and waved.


	3. Chapter 3

The sun was hidden behind the clouds, a grey disk in the opaque sky as the woods took Tabitha in like a friend; her small feet easily maneuvered around and over fallen logs and gaping trenches. Young Tabitha spent most of her childhood in these woods, a place to rest and be free when her mother was in one of her moods. This day, Tabitha was exploring the wonders of make-up; she had bought some from the drug store and hid it in her favorite stump.

"I know that all girls who wear make-up are destined to be ugly whores that die in alleys," _her mother's voice as soft as iron winds through her head_, "doyou want to be like that, little girl? Letting men use your body just so that you can buy some more_ make-up_?"

_Tabitha shuddered and glanced behind her, as if her mother was silently following her to see her act. Only trees and vines waved back to her in the slight wind, she crossed a small creek to a clearing. She missed her father; he kept her mother's taunts away with his hugs and light voice. She wondered where he went, it had only been a month and he told her he would be back, but Tabitha doubted that when she saw her mother burn all of her father's clothes only an hour after he left. She skipped over to a rotten stump, black with age and rot, and slid her hand into the opening on the side, ignoring the wet mold and bugs that covered her hand in…something disturbingly cold and wet. She frowned and pushed her hand in deeper and instead of grabbing a hard plastic case, she pulled out a dark and thick organ. _

_A liver, to be more precise. She stuck her hand in again and pulled out a heart, intestines, lungs and finally a pinkpurple blob that looked a lot like a brain. She had only seen colored pictures of organs in school; she gently slid her fingers on each of them. She pinched her fingers together and smiled as the blood stretched out into a thin line between her index finger and thumb. She put the body parts back into the hole and washed her hands in the creek; she licked her dry lips. Should she tell someone?_ Maybe I can ask a neighbor or a policeman,_ she thought, weighing her options. _

_But she got rid of the notion as soon as she thought of it; she wasn't well liked in the town, her mother the main problem of it. _

"_Ka-kaw! Ka-kaw!" a large crow called from above in the treetops, Tabitha glanced up to see it hop side-to-side on its branch. She stared in wonder as it flew down to the ground, only a foot away from her, "Come here little birdie," she sang out to the bird. It blinked its beady black eyes and fluttered away from her, calling out again in its screeching voice. She got up and followed it, the crow always an arm's reach away from her as it led her down a hill. She muttered a curse as she went through a bramble bush; the tiny thorns tore at her skin and drew blood. T__he crow finally landed and Tabitha blinked in surprise at what she saw. _

_A__labaster skulls lay on the ground, tilted back so that their mouths were open to the heavens. They were surrounded by rings of burgundy and onyx roses, the flowers wound their sharp tendrils around each one; one skull held two black roses in full bloom, mimicking the darkness that will always be in the eyes of the dead. _

_The crow pecked at an eye socket and dragged its sharp claws across the ivory bone, screeching its call into the grey heavens. _

* * *

A sharp knock on the door woke up Tabitha, it had already been a whole week since she started and she felt more comfortable now that she got to meet most of her patients. But the smell of bleach in the halls and the never-ending screaming each night from down the hall made her flashback to her days in an asylum. She slipped out of bed, in a thin silk gown this time, and turned on her lamp to help her walk to her door. "…Hello?" Tabitha whispered as she opened her door.

"Hey lady!" Cherri called out to her, the young girl's blonde pigtails gleamed in the moonlight from the windows. She hummed a song and held up a glass bottle that had a dark liquid inside, "Guess what I found in the kitchen today?" she whispered to Tabitha. Tabitha frowned, "Cherri…you do know that's one AM right?"

"It's wi-ine!"Cherri sang out to her.

"In the morning?" Cherri scoffed, "Of course I know that, lady. I just wanted to hang out with you some more and-"

"Well we can do that in the afternoon, but right now I need to sleep."

"But _lady_," Cherri whined to Tabitha, her painted clown lips quivered and green eyes became bright with tears. "Can't ya just take a walk with me? I promise it will be a small one." Tabitha sighed; she couldn't believe she was doing this, "Okay Cherri… only one walk though." Cherri punched the air in victory as Tabitha slipped on a jacket and closed the door. She glanced at Max's door as they neared the stairway; she hoped he knew his little sister liked to roam the halls at night. Cherri took her hand and led her down the stairs, Tabitha held her breath as her footsteps sounded like thunder as they made their way down; she did not want to get on Ms. Ide's bad side. The darkness made Tabitha's heart pound but the moonlight kept most of her fear at bay.

Tabitha blinked when she saw that they were heading out the front door, she grabbed Cherri's arm and made her stop.

"Cherri… I thought we were walking around the _building_," Tabitha hissed at the younger girl, Cherri only smiled and pulled away from her. "I never said that, did I lady?" Cherri giggled softly and opened the door, running down the steps to the church without a glance behind her. Tabitha cursed and followed her, the scent of wet earth made her nose burn. Her bare feet were soaked with dew from the grass she left the asylum, but she liked the feel of grass under her toes. She walked slowly in the moonlight, taking in how the blackened trees of the forest seemed to be welded of pure silver and how serene the asylum was. Tabitha caught up to Cherri near the lake; the young girl had already begun to drink from the bottle and spilled most of it on her straightjacket. Cherri handed the bottle over to Tabitha, "Drink up lady!"

Tabitha sniffed the liquid and reeled back in surprise, but still took a swig of the wine, gasping in pain as the alcohol burned her throat on the way down. Cherri giggled, "Come on lady, we're almost there!" The pair walked over to the church, its wide windows shone silver in the moonlight as they stopped at its doors. Cherri pulled out a skeleton key, blackened with age and rust, and slipped it through the keyhole. With a tug she pulled the door open, "You can go in lady, I'll be right behind you," the young girl whispered.

Tabitha frowned and ignoring the flutter of butterflies in the stomach, she slipped through the door. The scent of roses hit her hard as she stepped into the building; she smiled as she felt soft moss under feet. It was like she was in the woods again when she was a child. Tabitha turned to face Cherri as the door slammed in her face. She blinked and paled as she heard the lock click, did Cherri just lock her in here? Tabitha dropped the bottle with a thump and tried to find the doorknob in the dim light with no luck, moss and vines covered everything on the walls.

She finally gripped the metal doorknob and turned it, pressing her shoulder into the rotting wood of the door. It wouldn't budge. Tabitha pushed harder but only got a splinter in her shoulder, she sighed and gave up on it.

She looked around the church, the moonlight helping her see that the walls and ceiling were stooped from where she was standing, eventually rising into the darkness. The pews in front of her were warped with age and dusted with blue, crusty lichen; the rows ended right in front of a high wall, a large silver cross hung on it. She glanced up to see a crack high up in a window: the moonlight shone brightly on the crucifix and on a corner of the room, alighting a small walkway in the gloom. She cautiously stepped forward, ignoring the small creatures that crawled over her feet and up her ankles, into the dark hallway.

The moonlight did not penetrate far inside the hall; Tabitha only took two steps and was plunged into the shadows. She put a hand on the wall beside her to steady herself, gasping as she touched something smooth and soft.

_Clink_.

She froze in terror as the sound repeated again; she closed her eyes tight and grabbed the wall again, wincing now as a long thorn stabbed the inside of her palm. _It's all in your head_, Tabitha thought to herself as she began to breathe faster and faster, _it's all in your head._ She shivered as the hall got colder, every rustle and groan from the forest outside seemed to be magnified in here. The scent of flowers in bloom and mold made her dizzy, she began to stagger in the darkness. She thought of what her doctor told when they discussed her fear of-

"_Oh Tabby…Tabby cat?"_ a frail voice sang out to her, she only shook her head and clamped her hand over her ears. "Y-you're not real…I know you're n-not real. The doctors told me so," Tabitha whimpered into dark; the voice cackled, "What makes you say that? I've been with you ever since you left me."

"You're dead, thousands of miles away from here and six feet under" Tabitha whispered and the voice responded, "I'll follow you forever, my stupid little daughter." Tabitha couldn't stay still; she knew what came after that when her mother used that tone with her. She ran forward as fast as she could, thorns tore at her skin and dress as she continued down the path, her mother's footsteps got louder behind her. She ran into a wall and stumbled backward, and then she turned to face the way she came, ready for her mother's sharp nail to pull at her hair and-

A loud creak sounded behind her and a male voice boomed out, "What did I tell you Cherri! You know that you'll get in trouble by walking around at-"

The voice stopped and a warm hand grabbed Tabitha's arm; she turned happily to face Max, a pair of garden shears gripped tight in his hand. He reached behind him and flicked on a switch, Tabitha closed her eyes from the light of the room. "Umm…what you doing here?" Max asked, craning his head to see past her, "It's the middle of the night right now, how did you even get here?"

Tabitha sighed, "Cherri-"

"That's all I need to know," he growled, Tabitha glanced at the walls, noticing that they were covered in roses. She blinked then looked at Max's hands, they were covered in dirt and his garden shears were rusted with age. "What's in the room?" Tabitha asked him and pointed behind the man, he shrugged, "Nothing you need to know about."

"But you're here late at night in an abandoned church…I don't think Ms. Ide would like it when she hears about this."

Max glared at her, ice blue eyes narrowed in anger, why did they look so dark before? "You wouldn't _dare_," he hissed at her. Tabitha smirked, "Try me." He sighed and moved to the side to let her pass, "You're not as dumb as you look," he muttered.

Tabitha walked into the room, blinking in surprise as bright flowers lined every wall of the room. A lone light bulb, darkened with soot hung from the ceiling by a wire; Max closed the door behind them. "It used to be the priest's bedroom, but there was a fire and everything got gutted," Max said as he dropped to his knees and continued to prune a low carnation bush.

"I guess there was a storm," he pointed at a corner, night and vines clambered inside through a large hole in the wall, "and soon enough, plants started to grow here. I found it after I had to drag Bast out of the front of the church, it was a few days after his third trial and I guess he felt he needed to repent…and stab me with a piece of wood."

Tabitha sat under a large window, picking up a yellow Chrysanthemum and spinning it between her thumb and index finger.

"Are …you okay?" Max muttered at her. "I heard you freaking out before and I thought that you were in trouble," he quickly added.

Tabitha paused, "Yeah, I just a little spooked out there, I don't work very well in dark places." He nodded and took off his shirt; the maze of black tattoos ran up his arms and down his back, Tabitha fought the urge to touch him.

"So why are you here?" she asked, the man did not look like a person who would normally be in a garden.

"When I was a kid, I had some …problems, you know. Talked with the wrong girls, hung out with bad people and did some things I regret at time," he stopped his work and turned to face her. "My parents didn't know what to do with me and they sent me to my grandma's in the countryside. She had an amazing garden and she taught me how to prune and how to tell when the soil's becoming a bit too dry…she was a nice woman." He sighed and they sat in silence, both jumping when lightening flickered in the windows, closely followed by a roll of thunder.

Max shifted and turned back to his flowers as the rain began to fall. His voice barely broke through the white noise of the storm, " I think you should leave…you don't want to catch you as you're coming in. She's a light sleeper and storms like these keep her awake for hours on end." Tabitha took the message, '_He's probably tired of me_' she thought to herself as she rose and walked towards the door.

"Oh Max," she asked. "Can I get a key for the door? It wouldn't open when I tried it." He frowned, "There's no lock on the front door, it got busted a couple of years ago. The only way to keep someone from going out would be to hold it shut."

"Oh." Tabitha was going to _kill _Cherri when she saw her. She nodded thanks and headed out the door, Tabitha glanced behind her to see Max give her a small smile before the door glided shut once more. The rain was warm as she stepped out of the church, quickly running for cover under the overhang of the asylum. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that the front door was open, edging through the opening like a cat. She tiptoed her way down the hall, almost on the stairs when the screaming started.

"AHHHHHHHHHH! GET THEM OFF OF ME! GET'EM OFF!" a child's voice cut through the silence, Tabitha cocked her head. Hasn't she heard that voice before? She moved away from the stairs and toward a pair of silver doors, the screams increased in tempo as she got closer. She glanced up at the staircase, any minute now Ms. Ide could come down and make Tabitha's life hell. With that thought, she stepped through the doors, shivering as the temperature dropped in the hall before her.

Doors, all with big padlocks and handles on them, lined the hallway. Tabitha walked forward, going up to a door and looking through its little glass window. There was a small bed near one wall that held a man, his auburn hair glinted in the moonlight from his barred window, a large pencil clutched in his hand. She shifted her focus on the walls and was amazed at the number of pictures on the wall: of flowers, animals, big cities and small villages, but the ones that got her attention were the ones of bloated bodies in a river.

One picture took up a whole wall; the woman's body was badly burned as it floated on a labradorite river, the moon a thin crescent in the air. The scene around her were flames that rose from the ground and licked the night sky, Tabitha could see twisted faces inside the red inferno. The woman's left hand gripped a bunch of poppies, singed at the top of their lavender petals and beginning to fall out of her grip, drifting into the water below. The woman's mouth was open; her teeth shining like ivory pearls on her obsidian skin, and a thin stream of blood came from her throat and dissipated into the water.

Tabitha scrunched her nose, an odd mix of something sweet and sour floated up to her. Was it berries? She turned around to see where the scent was coming from…to see Beyond's burgundy eyes only an inch from her gray ones. He smirked, "Hello-hello Tabitha. I don't think Bast would enjoy it if he knew that you were watching him sleep. What are you doing down here?"

"Beyond…h-how did you get out of your room?"

"Well, Cherri steals Max's keys all the time and it just gets so _boring_ in the rooms, so we just walk around. How did you get out of _your _room and why?"

"Ah…I was," Tabitha stuttered and pointed down the hall, "I heard a noise and came down here-"

"What noise?"

Tabitha paused, the screaming had stopped but she could still hear a child's voice crying. "I'm sure I heard someone screaming, that's why I came here-"

"All by yourself?" he asked, his smirk widening on his pale face. "I didn't know you cared so deeply for you patients Tabitha, usually the therapist stays upstairs while Max yells bloody murder down here until we shut up," Beyond chuckled and ran a long finger down Tabitha's check, his sweet breath was making her dizzy. "I never knew women could be so pretty," he dropped his eyes to look at his feet, bending down he gently brushed Tabitha's toes with a warm hand. "Hmm? I didn't think Cherri was serious when she said that she was going to hook you and Max up," he stood up with his hand cupped to his chest, he offered it to Tabitha.

"What do you mean Max and I 'hooked up'?"

"Well," he began, slipping his thumb between his teeth, "if you were upstairs there is absolutely no way that could of heard Zine yelling. Ide made sure that she got her beauty sleep when one the _crazies _started a ruckus, she soundproofed the whole second floor. Your feet are _drenched_ with water and it only started to rain, so that means you left your room earlier to go outside when there was dew on the ground and finally," he leaned in and sniffed her neck and hair. "You smell like flowers and dirt, everybody know that Max has a little garden in the church back there." He shrugged and offered his hand to her again, gripping whatever was in his hand a bit tighter.

Tentatively, she reached out and Beyond turned his hand upside down, 8 needle-like legs scurried on her palm. "Your 'silk charm' finally hatched, Zine nearly pissed his pants when he woke with twenty black spiders on his face," Beyond cackled, his eyes flashed in the dim light as the black widow dropped to the ground by its silk. Tabitha rubbed the silk off her hands.

Tabitha bit her lip, "He's okay though, right?" Beyond wiped a tear from his eye, "What? Oh yeah, Cherri went into his room and calmed him down." A door creaked and out danced the blonde girl, she turned to face them and waved, "Hiya Beyond! Hiya lady!" Cherri skipped forward to the pair, "So did ya give Max the bottle?"

"What bottle?"Tabitha asked, Cherri's emerald eyes widened in anger, "The bottle I gave ya when we were outside! It's Max's favorite, don't tell me you drank it all." Anger made Tabitha's blood boil, she took a step toward the insane pair, "_That's the reason why you woke me up!"_ she hissed at the young girl, "I nearly had a heart attack because of you! Next time you want to hook up your older brother, leave me out of it."

"Oh…okay!" Cherri nudged Beyond and whispered something into his ears, his smirk returned on his face as he said, "Why don't you ask her?"

Cherri turned to Tabitha and asked, "So…how was it?"

"How was _what_, Cherri?" Tabitha asked. "You know," the blonde's eyes flickered quickly up and down, "_it_." Tabitha blushed, "Nothing happened, we just talked and then I-"

"So do you like it hard and fast, or soft and slow?" Beyond snickered. "You look like a 'hard and fast' girl to me, Max could be opposite…but I think he would have quickly found what you liked." Tabitha shook her head, "I'm leaving now," and with that she left the hall. "Can I be the maid of honor lady?" Cherri asked as Tabitha went up the stairs. Her heart thundered in her chest as Tabitha stepped on to the second floor, she glanced at door, the oak finish shone brightly under the moonlight. Tabitha dashed to her door and slipped inside, sighing as she flopped on her bed and went to sleep.

* * *

Tabitha awoke, bleary eyed, to see an irate Ms. Ide standing in her room. She quickly shot up in bed, pulling her covers close to her body, "M-Ms. Ide, is there a problem?"

The woman glared at her, "Of course there is! When came out of room this morning I saw muddy footprints leading to your room on _my marble floor_! Now tell me Wren, if that doesn't sound a bit odd?" Tabitha licked her lips, quickly piecing together a lie, "Oh, that Ms. Ide. I'm so sorry, I get a jumpy when it storms, and my doctor told me that if I stood in the rain for a few minutes it would help calm me down."

"Oh," the older woman said, a faint blush on her cheeks, "that would explain it…I thought you had a nighttime_ visitor_ last night." Tabitha giggled, inwardly cursing Cherri and her big mouth, "Why would you think that?"

'Well Mr. Max and I have a very special relationship…and you are a newcomer her, I didn't want you to get your heart broken." Tabitha fought the urge to laugh, instead she traced a design on her comforter, "Thanks for the information Ms. Ide, I'll take it into consideration." Ms. Ide gave her a smile, a real one, and walked out her room. "Oh, Wren?"

Tabitha looked at her, "Today, you're going to have Bast and Max. I would get ready, your first appointment starts in twenty minutes."

Tabitha nodded as Ms. Ide closed the door, groaning as she got up and walked over to her closet. She really wished she got more sleep last night.

* * *

Tabitha tapped a tune on her case file as she waited for Bast to come in, the curtains were wide open in the room, letting the sunlight illuminate every corner. The door clicked open and a tall man stepped through…minus Max. Tabitha rose and tried to see into the dark corridor but the man closed it with his foot.

"M-Max told m-me to come up by m-myself," the man stuttered out, his body shaking in his restraints. "H-he had to d-deal with C-Cherri, y-you know?" Tabitha nodded and sat down, she offered a seat for the man on the couch, "Come sit down Bast, I'm Tabitha and-"

"Ahh!" Bast whimpered as he stepped forward into the sunlight, he quickly stumbled back to the wall, his shaggy brown covered his face. "C-can you c-lose the blinds…s-sunlight burns me." Tabitha nodded and got up to close the curtains, watching Bast relax as the room dimmed; she walked over to her door and flipped on the light switch. She didn't want to be alone with Bast in a dark room.

Bast smiled and strolled confidently to his seat, shaking his hair out of his face he said to Tabitha as she sat down, "I'm sorry about that. I can't be too careful after what happened before." He leaned forward and gazed at her, "Wow, Beyond wasn't lying when he said you were pretty."

Tabitha only blushed and asked, "What happened before, Bast?"

" I suppose I should tell you why I'm here…My wife and kids were everything to me, don't get me wrong," he began, staring up at the ceiling as he continued. "I was an artist for this company, I've forgotten the name but we dealt with you know, scary things. I could draw up anything you wanted: Freddy Kruger, Jason, even an Alien with enough time. Also cities" His hands shook in front of him, he quickly pulled out a slim pencil from the folds on his straightjacket.

"I see that you like to draw," Tabitha said, " I said some of the pictures in your room the other day, they're very…detailed."

Bast smiled, " Yep, it's the only that calms me in the daytime. We lived well enough, had a large house and backyard, basically everyone's dream right? Well, my wife Danielle, she didn't really like that her husband worked in such a _morbid_ company." He sighed, " I guess I embarrassed her; all her other friends' husbands were doctors or lawyers. She got stuck with the creepy artist, and made sure that I knew it. But God, was she _beautiful_. Can I have some paper?"

Tabitha placed a sheet on his lap along with a clipboard, Bast began draw curves and lines on paper, "So anyway, that's my wife. My kids were a different matter. Amanda, who was the oldest, hated the horror thing. She was kind of the poster child of a perfect cheerleader in high school, she had the blonde hair, pretty face and was super popular from what she told me whenever she got the chance. I remember when I came in to surprise her at school one day, I knocked on her classroom door and walked in, seeing if she wanted to get out early, I just wanted have to some quality time with my kid.

"I was always working on a new character. I'm sure you and your dad spent lots of time together?"

"Uh, sure. You could say that." Tabitha hoped he wouldn't ask anymore question about her family. "So as soon as she sees me, she just looks the other way, ignoring me as if I was nothing. I called her out by her nickname, I called her 'Mandy' when she was younger, and she just gave me a glare that would have killed someone."

Bast paused and rubbed in a line in his drawing, " She blew up when got into the parking lot, screaming her head off about how I 'ruined her life' and that her friends are going to think that she comes from a family of 'freaks'. I was wearing all black that day and didn't really give a _damn_ what I looked like or what people thought of me. Then there was Trace, my son. He had brown hair like mine and, well you could say he was like a mini-me."Bast chuckled at this, "If only he didn't hate me. He was big bundle of hate right there. He thought he was 'Mr. Bad Boy' smoking God knows what in his room all day and blaring something called 'Scream-o' every night."

He deftly spun the clipboard in his lap to a new position and began to work once more, Tabitha inclined her head to see what he was drawing but Bast flipped the paper over. "No peeking. One night I was sleeping at the house alone, Danielle was with her with mother across town and Amanda was at a sleepover. Trace thought he had the house to himself and invited some girl over. Don't get me wrong, I didn't mind that part at all. It was the fact that he broke into my studio and allowed the girl to take pictures of all my work, which was then leaked out onto the Internet.

"Well, I talked to him about it and the only thing he said was 'Fuck you! All you ever care about is your freaky drawings, they all suck anyway. No wonder Mom's leaving you.'" His pencil snapped in two in his hands as he said this, his dark coffee eyes glittered in anger and Tabitha's blood began to chill. But the moment passed and Bast picked up the clipboard again, drawing slower this time, gliding his broken pencil on the paper.

"I don't really remember what happened after he said that, the next few days were a blur. It was the weekend, a Saturday night I'm sure, when I snapped. First I went into Trace's room, he was asleep when I smothered him with his pillow. He screamed a bit, but his music covered it up pretty well as I sat on his chest and held the pillow against his face. I left him there on his bed, closing the door behind me. Amanda was a bit harder, since she was good yeller. I hid in her closet as she took a shower and as she got ready for bed, I jumped out and strangled her with one her designer scarves, tying a knot in it so tight that she chocked pretty quick. Her skin was as blue as plum as I dropped her on the floor."

Bast smiled as he finished his drawing, "Danielle was on the stairs when she saw me leave Amanda's room and thought that it would be a great time to belittle me. She got on the top step, cursing my existence and all that good stuff, before I walked over and just pushed her. She gasped and her green eyes seemed to finally realize what I could actually do; she teetered on the edge of the step, her stiletto heels probably didn't help her balance as she fell.

"Her neck snapped as loud as a gunshot as she tumbled to the ground, her body lay twisted on our newly finished granite floor.

"I took the bodies out into our backyard, there was a large forest and river that ran through it. I got some matches and lighter fluid and burned their bodies, Trace lit up as fast as a paper towel. Have you ever burned a strip of one of those? They go up in flames pretty quickly. I sent him drifting down the river as the flames licked his corpse. The river was calm for the first thirty feet before turning into rapids, I watched Trace's body tumble against the sharp rocks as the river dropped and took a bend. Amanda went next after her brother, her blonde hair got tangled a bit on the rocks, so I kicked her until she moved along. I put a bunch of wild poppies into Danielle's hand, they were favorite flower. I lit her up, her blonde hair began to float in the air as the flames burnt it to a crisp; her lips pulled back in snarl as her skin turned black revealing her white teeth. I sent her down the river and never looked back."

_So that's the woman the wall, _Tabitha thought to herself. "Did you feel bad afterwards, when they caught you?"

"Nope, not really. Actually, I felt amazing, as if there was weight gone off my shoulders. It gave me such a boost of confidence that I finished seven projects within a week. It was after my first week in jail that I started to draw them, I guess I was just bored. They started to plague my dreams, Danielle's eyes kept on…staring at me whenever I closed my eyes, and Trace's words hit my heart like daggers. I was never a true believer of God, but soon I couldn't go out in the sun. My skin broke in a rash whenever I stepped outside, my head pounded when I walked near a cross or rosary."

"So you think you're a vampire?" Tabitha raised an eyebrow at the man.

"No!" Bast shook his head and sighed, "I just think that God was punishing me for what I did, which I think is surprising because Beyond killed a lot more people than me but he sleeps easy."

"Everyone has their demons Bast," Tabitha whispered, thinking back about the dark hallway in church last night, "maybe he deals with his past in a different way. Max told me that he found you in the church near the lake a couple years ago, what happened there?"

"I tried to repent, even though the cross was wrapped in vines and the church was crumbling, but he stopped me before I could pierce my heart on the altar." Bast looked down then up at her, "I think our time's up, here."

He stood up and handed Tabitha the picture he had been working on, she gasped in surprise as she saw that it was a drawing of her face encircled by roses. "Oh Bast! Thank you, I'll keep this close to me," Tabitha told the man as he walked toward the door.

Bast chuckled and pressed the button that opened the door, "Maybe I can come visit you sometime Ms. Tabitha…just don't tell Max though." He went down the stairs silently, Tabitha rose and closed the door behind him. She decided that Bast was a nice person, certainly insane but kind hearted as well. She stretched her arms and walked toward her bedroom, she had a couple of hours before Max came in and she really needed a rest.

* * *

Max's angry voice brought Tabitha's dreamless sleep to an end, she yawned and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. "But Maxi!" Cherri's whine came clear from her bedroom door, "I was only trying to-"

"Well stop it! And apologize to her, just be glad she likes you," Max grunted as he knocked on Tabitha's door. Tabitha got up, her hair in disarray, and opened the door to see a very angry Max and tearstained Cherri in front of her. "My little sister needs to say something to you,_ now_" he glared at the blonde. Cherri stepped forward and cleared her throat, "Well lady-"

"Tabitha," Max hissed at her.

The girl huffed, "_Tabitha_, I am truly sorry that I made you get up in the middle of the night."

"And?" Cherri glared at her brother, "_And_ that I locked you in the church with a bottle of my brother's favorite wine because I thought you two would have-"

"Stop right there Cherri, I think you got your point across." Tabitha smiled at the girl and patted her head, "It's okay Cherri, just don't do it again."

Cherri stuck her tongue out at her older sibling, Max ruffled her hair, "I didn't ask you to do it."

"Well whatever, I'll just set up with Bast, at least he has an interest in her," Cherri said and stormed down the stairs. Tabitha giggled, "She's right you know, your girlfriend nearly bit my head off this morning when she saw my muddy footprints on the floor."

Max frowned, "What girlfriend? I don't have one."

"Ms. Ide said-"

Max sighed and glanced down the hall at the older woman's door, "Between you and me? I think she's been reading one too many harlequin romance novels or just going into heat, she's told that story to every woman whose ever worked here…" he blushed. "You know, not that I've gone out with every woman here… it's just that…maybe since Cherri's rumors have…" he rambled off and stared out the window.

"I understand Max." He smiled at her and scratched his head, "I can't come in for my evaluation since I'm taking care of the rest of these people, but I can come in…later like around ten-ish if you want and we can talk."

"Is this a date?"

"Ah-no! It's more like a…" he exhaled sharply as he tried to find the right words, finally gazing at Tabitha with his azure eyes, "it could be date if you wanted it to. I mean, if Bast isn't already dating you."

"First off, Bast is a patient and-"

"I'm a patient." Max chimed in. "Yes, but we both know you're not insane," Tabitha said, "and secondly, I would love it if you came in at ten-ish."

Max punched the air and walked over to the stairs, "You look really good with your hair like that," he called out to her as he descended to the first floor. Tabitha smiled and closed her door, her bed was calling out to her.


End file.
